Vantage Shaft Tip Silencer Issue

OnePercent

OnePercent

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Today I went to a cue shop and getting my tip replaced.
I told the guy to be careful with the grey pad (the tip silencer) while replacing the tip, still he clamped the old tip off with the whole pad together.

Tip1.jpg
You can see the dent made by the pliers he used.

Tip2.jpg

According to Predator's website, I am pretty sure that the shaft's warranty is voided.
Can it be fixed? What do you think I should do?
 
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That is unfortunate to say the least :frown:
Seriously who uses pliers to tear the old tip off?
But as the damage is already done there isnt much you can do anymore, especially if the shaft has a new tip put on without the pad and all of it was faced off during install. You could try contacting Predators warranty personnel by email or the seller of the shaft and see if they can help you out. However the warranty requirements are pretty simple, the pad must remain at a given height (0.25mm from memory?) for the warranty to cover possible defects. Bad policy from Predator in my opinion but it is what it is :frown:

Most likely I'd think that the warranty is void and you are on your own if something was to happen to the shaft. However it still plays the same and the missing pad wont make the shaft junk. You can always have a new one put on, either the silencer pad like was there before or a Kamui clear tip for example and leave the acrylic pad when changing the tip again.

Please note that I am not an authorized Predator repairman and I cant say for 100% certainty if the Silencer pad has a structual meaning or if it can be replaced like stated above. I have however replaced a few 3rd gen ferrules, while doing so also voiding the warranty and judging from the construction of the ferrule & the materials under I dont see a structual need for the silencer pad.
 
I'd recommend calling or emailing Predator customer service and seeing if you sent it in if they could restore it to factory tolerances - i.e replacing the silencer, I believe they can do that.
 
Sure it can be fixed. One way is to send it to Seyberts, which is the official Predator warranty repair people.
 
First thing to know is tell the cue repairman that the gray silencer pad has to stay there, so an exacto knife is best to cut the tip off.

Second thing to know is the silencer pad is basically like the clear Kamui pad, a marketing gimick, and in the case of Predator, a convenient way to void the warranty.

Third thing to know is, a fiber pad in place of the silencer pad is about good enough, with a tip on top of it. It'll play about the same. You can get sucked into too much high tech stuff if you let it happen.

Fourth thing, I posted a year or two on this, where I suggested all tips put on top of the Predator silencer pad should have a fiber pad to make sure you don't contact the silencer pad. Some haven't listened.

All the best,
WW
 
Silencer pad

OnePercent said:
Today I went to a cue shop and getting my tip replaced.
I told the guy to be careful with the grey pad (the tip silencer) while replacing the tip, still he clamped the old tip off with the whole pad together.

View attachment 455534
You can see the dent made by the pliers he used.

View attachment 455535

According to Predator's website, I am pretty sure that the shaft's warranty is voided.
Can it be fixed? What do you think I should do?
Click to expand...

If you send the shaft back it can be repaired chances are its a carbon fiber pad but I don't know that for 100% for sure or as a fact . .
The reason is everything is so paper thin as in ferrule and tenon .
The shaft might be Low Deflection but it only got that way by being made paper thin or Light Duty .

If the ferrules and silencer pad was offered on the open market it wouldn't be a big deal.
No, not every cue repair person has they're $hit together .
But some of these shafts are nothing less then on a time clock ,, its just a matter of time, anything happens and the shafts warranty is voided .... when offering the parts and training would solve allot of these issues .

Personally I face cut with a live cutter and trimming the tip off the pad would of been a walk in the park .

You picked the wrong cue repair person , and he should be paying all the costs IMO .
Most cue repairman get snagged once in they're life working on LD shafts its seems to be part of learning if you don't have a mentor or someone who knows the ins and outs of trying to repair or retip some of these LD shafts .
 
Thanks for the replies. I have contacted the dealer to see what can be done.

Assume there will be a service charge to get a new pad, and I will ask the cue repair person to pay for it.

The only concern I have now, is that after repairing, will the cue feels the same as before.
 
OnePercent said:
Today I went to a cue shop and getting my tip replaced.
I told the guy to be careful with the grey pad (the tip silencer) while replacing the tip, still he clamped the old tip off with the whole pad together.

You can see the dent made by the pliers he used.

According to Predator's website, I am pretty sure that the shaft's warranty is voided.
Can it be fixed? What do you think I should do?
Click to expand...

You didn't go to a cue-shop, you went to a 'hack-shack'.
How much value do you place on the warranty he robbed you of ?
The only way I'd consider a return visit is with my attorney.
 
No shit that is PITIFUL...I know people that would have made him taste that shaft on the spot no questions asked. Tommy D.
 
Unfortunately, not everyone who works on cues is knowledged about cues.
The first question after asking someone if they can replace your tip should be. Do you have experience with the type shaft I use?
 
The official reply: fixing will cost just over 100USD with shipping included.

It will take 3 to 4 weeks to process though.
 
A $100 for a "tip replacement" is entirely ridiculous. I'm sorry. A carbon fiber pad online is a couple dollars.
Your guy that butchered the shaft should pay the repair cost as well.
That person has no business re-tipping anything but cheap house cues and shovels!
 
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